Children of Narnia
by Phasmidfan
Summary: OLD New Summary: After the defeat of the White Witch the Pevensies are faced with a new evil. Many references to the Silver Chair. Who is Father Time? How did the words 'under me' come about? Digory, Polly, Jill and Eustace included. Please R & R!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own C.S. Lewis' stories.**

**_I enjoy looking at Narnia fanfics, and have admired those who manage to write such wonderful stories in true Lewis style. So, I decided to have a crack at one. Although I like Narnia, I am by no means an expert, so please don't hesitate to point out any inaccuracies. Thank you!_**

**Children of Narnia: Chapter one  
**

It was only two weeks after the four Pevensies were crowned Kings and Queens of Narnia that they came across another adventure. They hardly ever talk of it today, yet I am sure that the memories of the events which occurred are still fixed firmly in their minds, and I am certain they often think about it when they are alone, or are in the mood for dreaming. Let me start from the beginning.

The day on which this particular adventure started began as any other. Kings Peter and Edmund and Queens Susan and Lucy woke up bright and early in their respective chambers. Already they were becoming quite used to the life of a royal. They met for breakfast in the grand dining hall, which was adorned with golden trimmings on the walls, and the table was set with a spotless white cloth, and beautifully carved golden plates.

"I say, this is a jolly good spread!" Edmund, who always had a good appetite, looked in delight at the feast before them. Fresh Narnian fruit, perfectly toasted bread, an array of jams, cakes, ham, cheese and pastries were set before them.

"Make sure you don't spill jam on your shirt," Susan warned, watching as her hungry brother piled masses of food onto his plate.

"Still acting like mother?" Edmund teased, with his mouth full. "Come on Su, we're royalty. We can do what we like!"

"Well, you should act dignified. What would Aslan say if he saw your table manners?" Susan daintily took a bite of her toast, her face a very queen-like picture.

"I do wonder when Aslan will come back," Lucy said, sighing. "I love him dearly, but I wish he weren't so unpredictable."

"He isn't a tame lion, you know," Peter said, grinning as he spoke the much-repeated line among the Narnians.

"I'm sure he'll come to visit us one day." Susan poured her sister a cup of tea, which tasted very much like the tea they used to drink in England. "What are your plans for today?"

"I vote Edmund and I go hunting," Peter said. "Every Narnian is expected to know how to hunt. I have the duty of organising hunting parties for the spring festivals. A king has to practice his hunting skills!"

"Practice them? You don't have any to start with!" Edmund couldn't help snorting, earning him a frown from Susan. He quickly swallowed. "What about Susan and Lucy?"

"I thought I might stay here, at the palace, and do some sewing," Susan said. "I'm going to be taught how to cross-stitch complicated patterns."

"I think I would like to go for a ride." Lucy had proven to be quite skilled at horse-riding, and enjoyed it tremendously. "It's such a lovely day, sunny and bright."

"It's been sunny and bright ever since the White Witch was defeated," Peter remarked. Silence fell upon the children as they reminisced on the past, Edmund especially. Mentions of the White Witch still sent a shiver down his spine. He had, after all, experienced her evil-doings and ruthless, cruel nature at closer hand than any of the others.

The silence was interrupted by the clatter of hooves on marble floor, and Mr Tumnus, the lovable fawn, hastened into the room.

"Excuse me, your majesties, for interrupting your breakfast like this." He bowed respectively.

"Oh Mr Tumnus, you know you don't have to act so pompous among us!" Lucy giggled, and ran to give the fawn a hug. "What is it?"

"Well, some centaurs went out for an early morning canter, and they came across two very strange-looking humans, in the forest. As they were quite unsure what to do with them, they hurried back, feeling that your majesties would be the best people to deal with it."

"Two humans? In Narnia?" Peter was curious. It was a rare thing indeed for humans to find their way from their own world into Narnia.

"So it seems." Tumnus accepted Lucy's offer to breakfast and sat down at the table. "The centaurs said they were sleeping by the creek."

"I wonder how they got here," Susan mused.

"I suppose we should go and find them as soon as possible," Edmund said, wiping his mouth on a silk napkin. "They are sure to be quite confused when they wake up."

"_I_ can go," Lucy volunteered. "I was going to go riding anyway. Susan, you can still do your sewing, and Peter and Edmund can go on their hunt. I'll bring them back to the palace straight away."

"Should you go alone Lucy?" Susan asked, looking worried. "I know the White Witch is gone, but some of her army escaped, and evil things are still lurking around."

"I'll go as well," Edmund said suddenly. "I'd quite like to meet these people, and going to see them sounds much more interesting then going hunting." As he was younger than Peter, and still used to living in modern England, he didn't see the importance of learning to live like a royal as Peter did. He was more inclined to do something adventurous, exciting, and more often than not, mischievous.

Plans were quickly settled, and when they had finished eating, Edmund and Lucy hurried to the stables to saddle their favorite horses. They enjoyed the brisk ride to the place where the humans had been spotted, following directions the centaurs had given them, and hoping that the two humans hadn't wandered very far. They needn't have worried, for as the crowd of trees around them thinned, and the noisy, bubbling creek came into view, the two humans were still sleeping soundly, and hadn't moved an inch.

The two children Edmund and Lucy observed looked very strange indeed. There was a boy and a girl, both of whom looked about Edmund's age. The boy was leaning against a large oak, snoring softly. He was dressed in very odd attire, in an adult-sized suit which drooped down past his hands and feet and dragged in the dirt. Around his neck was a large, silk tie, loosely knotted, and a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses, which had slipped past his freckled nose and hung more or less round his chin.

The girl was the same. Her shoulder-length brown hair was curled and hung limply around her shoulders. She was dressed in a large white nightdress which, like the boy's suit, looked many sizes too big. A frilly nightcap had flopped over her eyes, and Lucy could see that she was bear-footed. She lay curled in the soft sand by the water.

"Look, the centaurs tied them up!" Edmund whispered. And sure enough, both children were bound securely in tight bonds, so that they could not escape. The centaurs had really been wary of these unusual visitors to Narnia, and had used their stealth to secure them without waking them up.

Edmund and Lucy were just wondering whether they should really wake the children, for they looked so terribly peaceful and happy, when Lucy's horse, which was tired of standing still for so long and wanted to gallop, let out a whinny. At once, the boy's head snapped up.

"Where am I?" he asked himself, looking down at his bonds, his eyes wide with confusion. "Who has tied me up? Really, doing something like this to an innocent old man as I am!" Edmund and Lucy would at once have rushed to help him, if his manner of speech had not been so odd. They froze, watching him carefully. The boy wriggled, and the glasses flipped down onto the dirt beside him, causing him to notice his clothes for the first time.

"Why, I feel befoggled! My clothes have grown!" The boy stared in amazement at his large suit. "Dear me. This suit was one of my best, and now look at the dirt that's gotten on it." He looked around him, squinting through the sunlight at the woods and stream beside him. Edmund and Lucy, shielded by bushes, did not fall into his gaze. Suddenly, a look of pure delight spread across his face, and all signs of fear disappeared. "Why, I do believe I'm in Narnia!" The boy's face now held a giant grin. Lucy looked at Edmund in astonishment. Had the boy really been in Narnia before?

The boy's eyes fell on the girl, still asleep, and he gasped. "I say, is that you Polly?" At the sound of his loud voice, the girl's eyes opened, and she yawned. Upon hearing her name, she struggled to sit up, but of course she couldn't, for she was bound with rope. When she saw the boy, puzzlement spread across her face.

"Digory? Is that you?"

"It is, Polly my dear. We're in Narnia again! I must say, it's been quite a while since we were here, hasn't it? 70 years at least, I'd say. And look, you're young again!"

"Well, you look young as well!" Polly replied, seeming to relax a little.

"Why, I dare say I do!" The boy, whose name we have now identified as Digory, laughed. "I barely noticed."

"I must be dreaming," Polly said. "We can't have come back to Narnia. The last thing I remember, I was in bed with an awful cold. Horrid thing."

"This isn't a dream, it's real. I feel wide awake as anything!"

"The strange thing is," continued Polly. "I don't feel my cold at all. It's disappeared."

"Narnian magic, my dear, Narnian magic," Digory said, looking wise.

"I wonder why we have become children again," Polly said. "I mean, it's wonderful not to have such aches and limitations as being old, but I thought time worked the other way round. Narnia time doesn't take time in our world, and a little time back home is a long time here. We shouldn't have become young! If it were the other way round, and we were going to our world after being old here, I would expect us to lose some years, because we would go back to where we were last in England. But not this way."

"I don't know." Digory shrugged. "Curious thing, magic. But why bother thinking about it? I've lost 60-plus years, and I'm back in Narnia! Yippee!"

Edmund and Lucy, who were most puzzled by this behavior, felt it was time to intervene, and, leaving their horses to enjoy some fresh Narnian grass, clambered down to meet Polly and Digory.

"Good morning," Lucy said politely. Both children's eyes flew to her at once. "Welcome to Narnia."

"I say, it's Lucy and Edmund! What on earth are you two doing here? How are you, Edmund old chap? The last I saw of you, Mrs Macredy was shooing you away while she showed some guests in." Digory chuckled. "I must say, I don't mind being away from that woman for a while. Haha! Narnia feels wonderful!"

Lucy, as is to be expected, was shocked to discover that Digory knew her and Edmund's names. "Um, have I met you before, Digory?"

"Have we met before, why, I dare say we have." Digroy chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Let's see, the last time I talked to you, was when you ran crying to me that night the other children wouldn't believe your tale of a magical world."

Lucy thought back hard. (After spending time in Narnia, it sometimes becomes hard to remember your old life.) Suddenly, realisation hit. "You don't mean, surely you're not, I mean, you can't be-"

"You're the Professor!" interrupted Edmund. "Professor Kirk! The man we went to stay with!"

"At your service!" Digory laughed gleefully. "Although I feel rather young to be called 'professor' now. May I introduce Polly Plummer to you, my oldest and dearest friend."

Polly smiled politely. She had never met Lucy or Edmund, and was just as surprised as they were to discover that Digory knew them. Of course, now that they knew who they were, Lucy and Edmund lost no time in untying the two children. Digory at once began leaping up and down madly, yelling excitedly at the top of his voice. It was, indeed, quite amazing that he could manage so energetic a feat in his restricting, floppy clothing.

"I'm in Narnia again! I'm in Narnia again! Yippee! I'm befoggled. I never dreamed I'd get back! Yippee!"

Polly, who was a little more refined, tried to calm him down, although inwardly she was just as excited as he was to find herself back in Narnia. "Maybe we should follow Lucy and Edmund to wherever they want to take us," she suggested, much to Lucy's relief. Digory calmed down, his face flushed red with happiness.

"Take us wherever you want! I'm ready."

He rolled up his long sleeves and pants and ripped off the irritating tie. Polly did the same, disposing of her senior nightcap. Digory then rubbed his hands. "Right. Where to?"

"How about the Palace?" Edmund said. "Peter and Susan will want to meet you for sure...Professor."

"Palace? I don't recall a Palace in Narnia," Digory said. "But of course I've been away a while. Things must have changed!"

"Indeed," Lucy said. "Come on!" And so Lucy and Edmund showed Polly and Digory the way to their horses, and the girls mounted one animal, and the boys the other, and they began trotting slowly back towards Cair Paravel, so the horses wouldn't tire from the extra weight. Many different thoughts were racing through the children's minds. What a strange, unexpected thing to happen!

_**To be continued...**_

**LOL that turned out longer than I expected. Hope I didn't bore you. Please review!! And I'm not sure whether I shall bring in Jill and Eustace. I know they are from the future, but I have an idea as to how they could come in, though I have to sort things out a bit. What do you think?**

**Oh, and next chapter Aslan comes in. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own C.S. Lewis' stories.**

**_Thank you to Amber'eyed'countess and Trichwin for reviewing. And to Trichwin: Thank you, I think I will put in Jill and Eustace, a little later on._**

**Children of Narnia: Chapter two**

Upon reaching Cair Paravel, Polly and Digory were immediately shown to private chambers, where they changed out of their old clothes into Narnian attire. If you have ever worn Narnian clothes, you will know that they are immensely softer and more comfortable than the scratchy things we wear in our world. Polly and Digory were in very good moods by the time they went to the dining hall to meet Edmund, Lucy, and now Susan.

"Susan my dear! How nice to see you here!" Digory gave her hand a warm, vigorous shake. He actually had to look up to see her face, and Susan was rather unsure how to respond to the short professor.

"Er, lovely to see you again Professor. And nice to meet you Polly. Won't you have something to eat?"

As it turned out, both Polly and Digory were simply starving. As we have already mentioned, back in our world, Polly had been suffering from a beastly cold, and I am sure you know how horrible it feels to have no appetite during times of sickness. The magic which hung around Narnia had had a good effect on her, and as well as curing her completely of her chills and headache and sniffles, had given her a nice hungry feeling as she gazed down at the food she was served.

Before he had been thrown into Narnia, Digory had just settled down to a nice meal, and had barely taken a bite of his scrambled egg before waking to find himself in the forest, making him eager to eat something again.

"I say, they _are_ hungry, aren't they?" whispered Edmund to Lucy as he watched their two guests demolish food in a very skilful manner. It was not long before Peter ran in, eager to meet the 'two humans'. Upon learning that it was the professor who had come, Susan had dispatched a message to him, telling him to return immediately.

"Professor," Lucy began, sitting down at the table opposite the two children.

"Please, call me Digory. It makes me feel old to be called Professor." Digory laughed heartily.

"Well then, Digory, please tell us how to came to be in Narnia the first time."

"Oh, I remember that well. Very well indeed, don't you Polly?"

"Of course. I remember everything as clearly as if it had been yesterday." Polly's face was glowing with happiness. "It all started with Uncle Andrew and his magic rings, didn't it?"

And then Polly and Digory told their story of how they had been the first people to use magic to travel to different worlds. It is quite long, and the tale is called 'the Magician's Nephew'. If you are familiar with Narnia, you will most probably have heard it before.

"Do you mean you were actually present during the creation of Narnia?" Susan asked in disbelief when they had finished.

"We were there." Digory leaned back, patting his full stomach contentedly.

"Did you see Aslan?" Lucy asked.

"We did indeed," Polly said. "And we met some of the very first talking animals, and King Frank and Queen Helen, the first King and Queen of Narnia."

"King Frank used to be a London cabby," Digory added. "And now children, please tell _us_ how you came to Narnia, and how you became Kings and Queens."

"It all started with a wardrobe in the spare room," Lucy said. And so began the story of 'the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', which you no doubt already know.

When the story telling and the news sharing was finished (everyone had quite a lot to say and discuss), the six children sat for a moment in companionable silence, feeling like old friends, as if they had known each other all their lives. Digory was the one who cracked the quiet spell.

"I feel like my pipe," he said.

"Smoking? At your age?!" Susan stared at him in horror.

"I'm 76 years old. I've been smoking for half a century," Digory reminded her. The Pevensies didn't like to argue, for he _was_ a professor, and their current guardian back in their own world, and he was really a guest in their house. In the end, after much searching, a Narnian pipe was found, one which released sweet smelling smoke and which cupped perfectly in the palm of the user's hand. Digory smoked it with much pleasure, smacking his lips loudly.

"This is the life!" he said happily, inhaling the calming scent.

"Can I try that?" Edmund asked.

"No, you may not," Susan replied sternly.

"Why not?" Edmund couldn't help whining, just a little. His old behaviour of arguing and fighting had mostly disappeared upon entering Narnia, but he was by no means perfect.

"You're two young," Susan replied.

"Digory's my age, and you let _him_ smoke," Edmund retorted. It was after a little discussion that they discovered Digory and Polly were both more than a year younger than Edmund, but this of course only supported his argument.

"Mother always said you were not to smoke a pipe until you were grown up," Susan said.

I would hate to see what would have happened to their argument if at that moment they had not been interrupted by the soft plod of furry feet on the floor. Everyone turned towards the doorway, and standing there, among the regal pillars and china vases, was a lion.

Now, please do not imagine a scrawny, half-starved creature like those you see at ill-kept zoos, or a ferocious, growling beast with madness in his eyes. No. This lion was different. To begin with, he was a very big lion, taller than a grown-up, and covered in tawny golden fur which was thicker and softer than the fur of any other animal. His bushy mane framed his gentle face, sunlight glinting through his hair and adding a glow to his coat, and his deep brown eyes were kind and loving.

"Aslan!" Lucy tumbled off her chair and slid dangerously over the slippery floor towards the animal, enveloping him in a bear-like hug. She was closely followed by Susan and Polly. Smothered by the three girls, Aslan laughed a comforting, throaty purr which spread happiness throughout the whole room.

Disentangling himself, Aslan moved forward to greet the boys, who bowed and were overjoyed to see him. They were not at all scared of the great lion, for if you are good and strong you should have no reason to fear the animal. Only the wicked and evil feel hatred and terror towards him.

"It's nice to see you again sir," Digory said, patting him on the nose.

"And same to you, Digory. Polly my sweet, it has been a long time, I know, and I too am glad to meet you again."

Polly, who had been sniffing (and not due to her cold), burrowed her face into his mane in order to hide the tears of joy which had sprung into the eyes. The others, who of course knew she was crying, didn't say anything, and pretended not to notice, for it is hardly pleasant to want to cry privately but know that everyone is watching you. Aslan licked her gently with his rough, moist tongue, and then turned to the others.

"Come, my children, we have much to discuss, and on very important matters. Let us go sit amongst those soft rugs and cushions," (Aslan was rather too big to sit on an ordinary chair), "And I shall tell you what you need to know."

**_To be continued..._**

**Please review!! I love reviews. And if my story clashes with something in Narnia, please let me know. And anything wrong with it, or something you don't like, I would like to know as well please. Thank you for reading!! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own C.S. Lewis' stories. Also, I kind of based Father Time on the character 'Aunt Clara' from the old TV show 'Bewitched', so I take no credit for his personality.**

**_I changed the summary for this story. Also, there will be a lot of references to the Silver Chair in this story, so I would hope you have all read that, otherwise you may miss some of the meaning._**

**_Thank you also to all the wonderful Narnia authors out there! Your stories helped me develop the characters and sort out everyone's personalities._**

**Children of Narnia: Chapter three**

"Now my children, I am sure you are all wondering how Digory and Polly came here, into Narnia."

"Didn't you call them?" Lucy asked, cuddling against Aslan's warm side. The seven of them were seated on the cushions and rugs Aslan had chosen, and everyone was thinking how just how comfortable it felt to be sitting on the soft floor, after the harder marble dining seats. Edmund and Digory were, in fact, so comfortable they began to feel a little drowsy.

"No, I did not," Aslan replied.

"Did they find a doorway or something, like how we came through the wardrobe?"

"No, they did not."

"We just appeared here," Digory said. He himself was feeling quite curious as to how he had managed to return, after years and years of living in England, with no hope of ever getting back. For there are certain rules regarding Narnia, as to who is allowed to enter. You cannot get there if you are too old; only children may travel. Digory and Polly, both in their 70s, had somehow broken this rule, and magic like that is known to be quite impossible to break.

"I am sure you are also wondering why they became children," Aslan continued. "The time difference between this world and your own world does not work like that. It is the opposite way around."

"Have we done something wrong Aslan?" Polly asked, suddenly feeling very nervous.

"No, my children. Do not worry about that. This magic is of someone else's doing. Someone with the power to turn back time. Someone who made you children again."

"And who is that?" Peter inquired.

"This is the magic of Father Time," Aslan explained. "Father Time is a powerful magician, the man who controls all time of Narnia, and the worlds around it."

"I have never heard of Father Time," Susan said. "Does he live near here?"

"He lives up north, among the giants," Aslan said. "He prefers to do his work in silence, which is to keep time moving forward in the proper manner."

"Is that all he does?" Peter asked.

"Father Time controls day and night, hours and minutes, months and years, and the seasons. When the White Witch Jadis took over Narnia, she caught Father Time and imprisoned him, limiting his magic to her own uses."

"That was why it was only ever winter!" Edmund exclaimed. "She forced Father Time to keep Narnia frozen in that season!"

"Yes." Aslan's great head nodded up and down. "And never Christmas. Poor Father Time was nothing more than a puppet in her clutches."

"How horrid!" Lucy's brow creased. "I hope Father Time is free now."

"When the witch's power began to fade, Father Time broke free and escaped. That is when spring began to come again, and time began to move freely once more."

"How does this concern us, sir?" Digory asked. A rather horrible feeling had come over him, as if he were an intruder in Narnia, and his return to the land had all been a mistake, and he really _shouldn't_ be there. Even worse was the thought that he would be sent home immediately. Polly was feeling the same.

"Are you going to send us back?" she asked. The Pevensies looked at them with pity, knowing exactly how they felt. They didn't want Polly and Digory to be sent back, as both had proved to be quite nice children and very good friends.

"Polly my sweet, do you think Father Time is capable of calling two humans all the way from your world to Narnia? The magic was pulling the two of you towards Narnia already. No doubt you felt it."

"I did feel a couple of odd winds when the air around me was still," Polly said, after a few moments of hard thinking.

"However, you could not return at your age. All Father Time had to do was turn back the clocks for your lives and the magic brought you here. Not all went well, however. He meant to make you children again, but he did not completely succeed. Your minds did not change. They stayed as they were, grown-up and mature. Neither did your clothes alter back to the clothes you wore as children."

"So they have the minds of a seventy-something year old, but the size of a child?" Peter asked.

"Yes, that is the case. His power has been weakened, both from imprisonment from the White Witch and confusion with the stone table."

"The stone table? How is that connected?" Susan looked puzzled.

"Do you remember how death itself worked backwards after the witch killed me, and so I came back to life? That meant that some time also worked backwards, against Father Time's will. It would have had some effect on him for sure."

"So, Father Time has decided to bring us to Narnia for some reason." Digory looked happier, now that he knew he was to stay in Narnia for at least a little longer.

"Yes, my children. And he would not have been able to do so if it had not been for a very important reason. Which is why you must find him immediately and ask him what you are to do."

"Couldn't you just tell us?" Peter asked. Alsan turned to look at him with his deep eyes.

"No, Son of Adam. Father Time has called you, Father Time must instruct you. His reasons are part of his own story, and his story alone. It is up to him what information he wishes to share." He stood up, shaking his mane, which had gotten rather crumpled.

Everyone felt quite disappointed, as they had been longing to know more about Father Time. Everyone was also feeling a little nervous, and rather horrified at the thought of suddenly going on a journey up north without really any idea of what to expect. Aslan saw their faces, and purred again, a long, loud, comforting purr.

"Do not worry, my children, for I shall be with you."

"But we hardly know where to begin," Edmund said.

"I shall guide you," Aslan said, a slight glow accenting his head. "You shall receive further instruction from me before you begin on your journey. And now, I depart from you." Slowly, he faded out of sight until he had disappeared completely.

"Well!" Digory exclaimed, when Aslan had gone. "What do you think of that?"

"I'm jolly confused," Peter said. "Aslan is always like that. Very mysterious. Now he wants us to travel up north to find some strange Father Time."

Susan looked rather pale. "And I thought adventures were over after the White Witch was defeated."

"We must obey him though," Lucy said. "No matter how hard it seems."

"I _do_ wonder what Father Time is doing," Polly sighed. "I mean, I dearly want to find out why he brought Digory and me here. Aslan said it was important."

"I wonder what we should do first." Peter stood up. "I mean, are we to go alone, or with an army? I am sure the Narnians will assist on accompanying us."

"We should first look at some maps," Edmund pointed out. "And choose our direction. Alsan said he would give us more instructions, but we can't just wait around for them. We should make a start!"

**_To be continued..._**

**_I must admit, that chapter was a little weird. I hope it was OK. Please tell me anything that was wrong with it. Oh, and I don't know anything about Father Time except for a paragraph or so in The Silver Chair. If there is something important about him, please let me know, so my story doesn't clash. Thank you. Please review!_**


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